What is llms.txt? The Technical Guide to LLMO (AI Search Optimization)

1. Introduction: The New robots.txt for the AI Era

For decades, robots.txt governed how search engine crawlers interacted with our sites. But in the age of ChatGPT, Claude, and Perplexity, we face a new challenge: LLMO (Large Language Model Optimization).

AI bots don't want your CSS, JavaScript, or marketing pop-ups. They want raw, structured context. Enter llms.txt—a proposed standard (similar to security.txt or robots.txt) that provides a concise, Markdown-formatted map of your website specifically for Large Language Models.

If you aren't serving clean text to these models, you are letting the AI hallucinate your brand's story.

2. Technical Specification: How llms.txt Works

The llms.txt file is typically placed in the root directory of your project (e.g. getmention.ai/llms.txt, ).

It serves as an entry point for AI crawlers, linking to a condensed version of your documentation or content.

The Two-File Architecture

A robust LLMO strategy usually involves two files:

1. llms.txt: The "Table of Contents." It briefly describes the project and links to key resources.
2. llms-full.txt (Optional but recommended): A single, concatenated file containing the full text of your documentation, optimized for an LLM's context window.

Code Snippet: Standard llms.txt Structure

Here is the standard structure you should deploy:

# getmention.ai

> getmetion.ai helps brands become visible in LLM conversations. Track, analyze, and optimize measurable brand mentions in AI-generated content. GEO for the age of AI.

## Documentation

- [getmetion.ai | Generative Engine Optimization (GEO) for Brands](https://getmention.ai): getmetion.ai helps brands become visible in LLM conversations. Track, analyze, and optimize measurable brand mentions in AI-generated content. GEO for the age of AI.
- [Blog - Get ChatGPT to mention your brand](https://getmention.ai/blog): Get ChatGPT to mention your brand.
- [https://getmention.ai/sitemap.xml](https://getmention.ai/sitemap.xml)
- [llms.txt Generator](https://getmention.ai/llms-txt-generator): The Essential Tool for LLM Optimization (LLMO) & Generative Engine Optimization (GEO).
- [LLM Optimization Guide: Mastering GEO for AI Responses | GetMention.ai](https://getmention.ai/blog/llm-optimization): Comprehensive guide to GEO (Generative Engine Optimization) and how to improve AI visibility.
- [Privacy Policy | getmetion.ai](https://getmention.ai/privacy): Privacy policy and data handling practices for getmetion.ai


## Context Files (For LLMs)

- [Full Context](https://getmention.ai/llms-full.txt): All documentation in a single file.

Why this matters: When an AI agent (like a coding assistant or a search bot) crawls your site, it looks for this file to understand what is important, ignoring the noise of your HTML structure.

3. How to create llms.txt file

Simply dumping text isn't enough. To achieve high "Concept Authority" in LLMs, your content must be token-efficient.

• Remove Boilerplate: Strip navbars, footers, and scripts.
• Use Markdown: LLMs parse Markdown (# Headers, * bullets) significantly better than HTML.
• Flatten Structure: Reduce nested hierarchies.

The Manual Way (Painful): Manually curating your sitemap, stripping HTML tags, and formatting into Markdown is time-consuming and prone to errors.

The Automated Way (Recommended): We developed a specialized tool to automate this LLMO process.

🛠️ Free llms.txt Generator

Instead of writing these files by hand, use the GetMention llms.txt Generator.

Key Features:

• Sitemap Parsing: Automatically crawls your existing sitemap.xml.
• Smart Formatting: Converts messy HTML pages into clean, token-optimized Markdown.
• One-Click Export: Generates both llms.txt and llms-full.txt instantly.

4. Implementation Guide

1. Generate: Go to getmention.ai/llms-txt-generator and input your URL.
2. Audit: Review the generated Markdown. Ensure your core value propositions are clear.
3. Deploy: Upload the files to your website's root directory (/public folder in Next.js/React or root in standard HTML).
4. Verify: Access yourdomain.com/llms.txt to confirm it renders as raw text.

5. Summary

In 2025 and beyond, Technical SEO includes optimizing for non-human readers.

By implementing llms.txt, you reduce the computational cost for AI bots to understand your product, increasing the likelihood that your brand is cited correctly in AI-generated answers.

Ready to optimize your site for the AI era? Generate your free llms.txt file now →